Uncovered: How East Germany Punished Deserters in the Cold War Era
A free public lecture on desertion in East Germany will take place on June 3, 2023. Historian Konstantin Neumann will speak at the House on the Border at 6:30 p.m. His talk, titled Desertions and the Persecution of NVA Defectors, examines how authorities treated soldiers who fled the regime. Defection ranked among the gravest crimes in the German Democratic Republic. The state viewed it as treason against the ruling SED party and imposed severe penalties. Neumann’s research sheds new light on these legal practices.
For his study, he analysed 1,111 cases of convicted deserters. He also reviewed a representative sample of 97 individuals in depth. His sources include investigative files, surveillance logs, state records, legal texts, and personal memoirs. The lecture will explore how courts defined desertion as a crime. It will also detail the methods used to prosecute those who attempted to escape.
Neumann’s findings provide a clearer picture of East German justice. The event offers the public a chance to learn about this little-discussed aspect of history. No registration is required, and entry is free for all attendees.
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